The Bong bombshell turns 35 today

Born on January 7, 1979, Bipasha Basu was a model before she entered Bollywood. Basu started modeling at 17 with her ex-boyfriend Dino Morea. She appeared in various endorsements and music videos. Bipasha made her debut in the industry with Abbas-Mustan’s Ajnabee opposite Akshay Kumar in a negative role. Though the film received rave reviews, the Bong bombshell won a lot of awards for her performance in the film.

After Ajnabee, Bipasha did Vikram Bhatt’s Raaz opposite Dino Morea which turned out to be one of the most successful films of 2002. After Raaz, she got recognition and did a number of films such as Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, Chor Machaaye Shor and Gunaah. Following this, in 2003, Bips delivered Jism opposite her then boyfriend John Abraham which won her awards for her negative role and also earned her the tag of a sex goddess.

Post Jism, the actor appeared in numerous films like Zameen, Rudraksh, Aetbaar, Madhoshi, Rakht, Viruddh and Barsaat which did not fare too well at the box office. She was back in the groove with No Entry, Corporate, Omkara, Dhoom:2, Bachna Ae Haseeno, Race, Dum Maro Dum and Raaz 3. The hottie’s next release is Humshakals, Bang Bang and No Entry Mein Entry.

Bollywoodlife wishes the sultry actor a happy birthday and a great year ahead. Do send your wishes!

Here’s the new song from Manish Tiwari’s upcoming movie loosely based on Romeo and Juliet

Issaq-starring Prateik and Amyra Dastur is Manish Tiwari’s forthcoming movie loosely based on Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Tiwari is all set with a desi spin to the classic story that has unexpected twists and turns. In the Enne Unne number from the movie we saw Pratiek having bhaang and getting out of control. As if that wild act was not enough, the young lad will be seen getting doped in the new song – Bhole chale. Sung by Rahul Ram and Sachin Gupta, Bhole chale is penned by Mayur Puri and composed by Sachin Gupta. In the video we see Prateik dancing to this number.

Prateik has already performed well in movies like Dhobi Ghat, Ek Deewanan Tha, Dum Maro Dum and Aarakshan. This time around he will be playing a small town boy romancing debutante actor Amyra, Prateik will be seen as of Rahul Mishra and Amyra will play the role of Bachchi.

Take a look at this hatke number and tell us if you find Prateik dopey just like we did!

Veteran singer Asha Bhosle, whose acting debut Mai releases on February 1, says it was imperative for her to carve her own identity and that she is still not able to escape comparisons with her Didi

Veteran singer Asha Bhosle, known for crooning a variety of songs during her over six decade-old career, admits she still faces comparisons with her elder sister, singer Lata Mangeshkar. But at the moment, she is rejoicing over the compliments that Lata has heaped on her.

“It felt good to hear her say in her interview that she can’t sing what I can. But I disagree with her,” Asha said. “I feel if she wanted to sing my kind of songs, she would have. But she didn’t want to. She didn’t have to. She got to sing all the songs for the heroines, so she didn’t have to sing for the other female characters in a film. I got those songs. And I made the best of them,” said the 80-year-old, who sung romantic songs, cabarets and ghazals.

Recalling her days of struggle, Asha, whose acting debut Mai is now set to release Friday, said: “When there was already a Taj Mahal, I came to build another one. Bahut mushkil tha (It was tough). Who would want to go to another singer when there was already a Lata Mangeshkar? On top of that, I was her younger sister. Hamesha humein ek tarazu mein tola gaya (We were always compared on the same scale)… It was very tough for me to escape all these hurdles. I still haven’t escaped those comparisons.”

She says it was imperative for her to carve her own identity. “Didi and I had to be different singers. Copying her would have meant the end of my career even before it started. No one would have entertained a copy of Didi. Just as long as Kishore Kumar was there, no other male voice stood a chance. I first had to get songs that were comparable with Didi’s. I had to cultivate a Western style of singing. I had no choice. I had to be prepared to do any kind of song that was offered to me. Didi became instantaneously successful. Plus there were other singers like Geeta Dutt,” she said.

Talking about the new generation of singers, Asha said: “The world has moved on. Earlier, the female singer sang at a high pitch and the male singer at a low pitch. Now that has been reversed. There’s no time for slow soft sentimental songs.”

But she adds, “No point in clinging to the past and pining for nostalgia. If you remember happy occasions, whether it is the mehndi ceremony or a wedding, they have always been celebrated with songs. Every individual wants to dance and sing. Rhythm ka zamana hai (Rhythm rules). No one listens to the words. You can’t stop the world from moving on. If you try, you’ll get left behind.”

As the Bong babe turns 34 today, we put a test to hardcore Bipasha fans. Check out if you know it all about your favourite star

Born on January 7, 1979, Bipasha Basu has been a part of the industry for almost 12 years now. The babe has a huge fan following and has over the years carved a body that one can die for. From launching her own fitness DVD to making her presence felt in strong health campaigns, Basu is an avid work-out freak. And although her career hasn’t exactly flourished in a big way and neither has she proved her credentials as an out-and-out talented actor, Bips still exudes an infectious confidence, and her attitude inspires you to go on despite the many failures you may face – be it in a relationship or in career. The actor had once said in an interview that the film business makes you a li’l fragile. But honestly, her spirit looks quite unbreakable to us.

So here’s an interesting quiz on Basu. The points you earn will decide how loyal you are to you fave celeb, so answer carefully…

But after the heavy-duty action that we are sure will be stuffed into Dhoom:3, would you really like to see him in a romantic avatar?

Abhishek Bachchan, who was recently surprised at the way his daughter – Aaradhya Bachchan – is growing up and how fast he sees changes in her facial features, is currently busy working on his action flick Dhoom:3. And we must say, we love AB in the role of a no-nonsense cop.

But Abhishek doesn’t want to stick to doing action films, as he was found doing in some of his recent movies like Players, Dum Maro Dum and Game. So next he will be seen romancing his costar in Kunal Kohli’s new love-fest.

According to certain birdies who flew in to chirp happily to us, the filming of this one will begin in the first half of 2013. But quiz Abhishek about it and he will insist on staying mum. “It’s too early to talk about it right now,” he said in an interview. Sigh!

Why so, AB? Are you nervous about returning to the big screen as a romantic hero? Well, we don’t blame you for feeling indecisive over this one ‘coz we still remember (and shudder) at the thought of your blopers like Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya, Shararat and Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon. And we hope that this movie turns out to be nothing like those turkeys. Fingers crossed!

On the 73rd birthday of the late music maestro, we recall the playful spirit of Pancham, but in English!

Born on June 27, 1939, RD Burman became one of the greatest and most entertaining music directors of all time. From romantic songs like Rim jhim gire saawan and Chura liya hai tumne jo dil ko to groovy tracks like Dum maro dum and fun numbers like Piya tu ab to aaja – RD gave Hindi cinema fans an endless number of amazing compositions to hum, again and again. Today, on the day of his 73rd birth anniversary, we translate three of his most groovy and fun songs into English and, guess what! The Pancham magic still works!

Rana, who benefited the most from his alleged link up with Bipasha, is no longer friends with the sultry babe. Rana’s growing closeness to South actor Trisha is believed to have caused the rift

Bipasha Basu’s much-talked about friendship with Rana Daggubati seems to have turned sour over the last few months. Though their friendly equation had raised many eyebrows in the past, neither had admitted that they were dating. Gossip mills were abuzz with Rana and Bips romantic liaison after Bips break up with John and it had worked in Rana’s favour.The actor, who was not a known name in B-town was suddenly being talked about. Despite the debacle of Dum Maro Dum where he played Bips’ love interest he’s managed to bag a full-fledged meaty role in Ram Gopal Varma’s upcoming film. After her split with John Abraham, Bipasha had she found a companion in Rana, but their relationship seems to have gone kaput now.

The couple has now drifted apart and is hardly making an effort to keep in touch. Many say that the main reason for the rift is the hunk’s growing closeness to South actor Trisha. Apparently, Rana was seen cosying up to the South hottie at a music festival recently. When Bipasha found out about this, it did not go down well with her and she backed out of the festival. Well, it’s quite obvious that Rana has garnered enough publicity as Bipasha’s arm candy and is now looking to make his own identity. We guess that’s how relationships work in the world of showbiz!

Abhishek, who turns a year older, hopes for better luck at the box office in 2012

Abhishek Bachchan turns 36 today. And guess what he’s got on his wish list? To act in a film made on an environmental issue! Abhishek was recently awarded the Green Globe Award for his contribution to creating environmental awareness. The actor recently gave up his Bentley for a greener environment. And now is waiting for the arrival of electric cars. The year 2011 was a milestone for Abhi as far as his personal life goes. It brought Beti B into his life. But when it comes to his career, it wasn’t really a good year for him. Recently we saw him in Game, Dum Maro Dum and Players, none of which managed to make a mark at the box office.

We are sure his fans are waiting for the actor to recreate the kind of work he did in Yuva, Dostana and Guru. With the script of the Dostana sequel back on track, we hope he shows his funny side to the audience yet again. Plus, there is Dhoom 3 which is likely to ready by the end of this year. Let’s hope that the 37th year brings Bachchan junior a lot more luck at the BO. And we also hope that he finally reveals the name of his baby daughter!

Singing legend Asha Bhosle will be one of the judges on Sahara One’s Sur Kshetra, a new reality show that will feature singers from India and Pakistan. A source told IANS that the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Padma Vibhushan winner, who has sung evergreen numbers like Mehbooba mehbooba, Piya tu ab to aaja, Chura liya hai tumne jo dil ko and Dum maro dum, will be one among three judges on the show. The other two names will be officially announced soon by the channel. Other names associated with the show include singer-composer Himesh Reshammiya and hit Pakitani singer Atif Aslam, who will captain the Indian team and the Pakistan team respectively. Two other Pakistani legendary singers, Abida Parveen and Runa Laila are also touted to judge the show. The host of the show, expected to be launched in February, is yet to be announced. Sur Kshetra is being produced by Gajendra Singh of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Antakshri fame, founder and managing director, Saaibaba Telefilms.

]]>http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip-buzz/asha-bhosle-to-judge-sur-kshetra-on-sahara-one/feed/0Abhijit Vaghani: Music direction is not the end goal of music!http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/abhijit-vaghani-music-direction-is-not-the-end-goal-of-music/
http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/abhijit-vaghani-music-direction-is-not-the-end-goal-of-music/#commentsTue, 27 Dec 2011 06:36:55 +0000BollywoodLifehttp://www.bollywoodlife.com/?p=66086

After Ra.One, Abhijit is all set to rock with his work on the albums of Agent Vinod and Race 2. But not everything is hunky-dory for this music producer who reveals some dirty secrets from the world of Bollywood music

Meet Abhijit Vaghani, a foodie who loves Chinese cooking just because it can be digested quickly before you get ready for a big Punjabi feast. Here’s a music junkie who can’t think of working anywhere else apart from the music industry or … err…. McDonald’s! After Ra.One, Abhijit is all set to rock on the albums of Agent Vinod and Race 2. But while we’ve all heard the names of music-men like Pritam and Vishal-Shekhar associated with these movies, Abhijit was never in the limelight. Why so? “That is because everybody thinks that being a music director is the end goal of music production, which is not right!” he says. After all, direction is just another category in the music industry. So what is Abhijit’s job then? “Music production is dressing up the tune that a music director comes up with. Everything under the voice is ours,” he answers. “There are very few music producers who can do justice to the tune in a music director’s head.”

A lack of knowledge in the music industry is one of Abhijit’s prime concerns. “Movie producers and directors don’t give us the freedom to display our talents,” which is the reason for most of the fights. “Just because they are the ones pumping in the money or directing the movie, they want to show their authority.” And in this play of power, Abhijit thinks, creativity loses out.

Music wasn’t something that happened to Abhijit while he was busy making other plans. Even in school, while studies were compulsory, music remained a priority. “I used to be a stage performer during my school days.” Did parents object? “They left me to my creativity.” Abhijit was lucky – his family was benevolent enough to spoil him with goodies such as a keyboard and a guitar.

As a result, Abhijit began his experiments with music fairly young. At 18 he decided to convert his passion into a career. “I started working at a friend’s post production studio and initially was producing jingles,” he says, remembering the time he earned around Rs 2500 per month.

Talking about teenage memories – were there any painful ones responsible for Abhijit’s creativity? “First girlfriend stayed just for two days,” he chuckles. While that didn’t really sound too painful, we probed further. What inspired the maestro? “Everyday life, my mother, surroundings, a patch of green….” But the moment he starts working on a song, all that ceases to exist. “It’s just me and my computer.”

While Abhijit was struggling to find a foothold, Sanjoy Chouddhary, son of legendary music composer Salil Choudhary, offered him his first big break – the remix of Zindagi ek safar. “Incidentally, that was my favourite song since I was a child.” Many of his childhood favourites – Dum maro dum, Pyar do pyar lo – came to him after that. And then Abhijit stepped into movies with Salim-Sulaiman’s Wanted. “I was trying to chase them for over two years,” he confesses candidly. “Working with them was my favourite experience.” After Wanted there was no looking back. Since then he has officially remixed songs from Aarakshan, Singham, Band Baja Baraat, Buddha Hoga Tera Baap and Ra.One.

According to Abhijit, music in Bollywood has not been fully explored. “I would like to bring a little change in the Bollywood sector,” he says, “and I’ve tried to do that with my grooves.” He wants the audience to embrace new beats. “Don’t limit yourself to Bollywood or selective Hollywood music,” he urges, what if you don’t feel for what you are listening to?

And, with success walking close by his side, he hopes for a little more freedom and trust from filmmakers, because then, “We can show you a better product that what you expect for yourself,” he wants to tell them. And that sentiment does indeed sing!